Top 10 Dive Sites

Semporna

Vibrantly decorated traditional 'Lepa' boats gathered at the Semporna waterfront for the annual Regatta Lepa festival, celebrating local Bajau culture.

Semporna is a small port town of about 150,000 inhabitants.

It is the gateway to the nearby islands of Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai, Pom Pom Island, Mataking, etc.

Most incoming visitors prefer to stay on paradise Mabul island.

Semporna Boat Transfers

Contact us for the the latest scheduled boat transfers from Semporna to the nearby islands.

Which are the Homestay Water Resorts around Semporna

Semporna town is the gataway to the nearby islands of the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The town is a mix of local international tourist hotels, local Bajau Laut villages, wet seafood market, waterfront restaurants, dive shops, tour operators and jetties where many day trip boats load Chinese tourists going to the islands in the morning and are back in the afternoon. Most island hopping tours and snorkel trips depart from the public/tourist jetty, with departures typically in the morning and returns by late afternoon (between 4 and 5pm). If you’re planning Pulau Bohey Dulang’s ridge hike up the 700m high peak or a multi island snorkel combo such as at Sibuan, you have to arrange your trip at least one day in advance.

Which are the Top Hotels in Semporna?

Hotel Seafest (3 stars)
Pacific Inn (3 stars)
Dragon Inn
Sipadan Inn
Sipadan Inn 2
Sipadan Inn 3
Mabul Inn
City Inn
Han Palace Hotel
Holiday Dive Inn
Ocean Inn
Wingtat Grand Hotel Semporna
Casa Casa
Ohhsem Hotel
Amazing Rooms
Sipadan Crystal Haven Inn
Semrock Hotel 仙乐酒店
Little Turtle's Home (LTH)
OYO 90117 Grand Vista
Seafest Hotel Semporna Lepa Wing
Hemingway Cottage
OYO 89712 Grand Inn.
Wave View Hotel
OYO HOME 90667 Chen Room Bs
SPOT ON 89947 Mu Yu

In Semporna town, budget to mid-range hotel options put you just a few steps away from the departing boats. The Seafest Hotel is the best hote and sits by the waterfront mall near one of the luxury resort jetty, while the Dragon Inn Hotel is a local landmark designed on stilt with Bajau inspired wooden boardwalks with chalets over the water. Semporna eateries and souvenir shops are plentifull.

Which are the Budget and Mid-range Resorts around Semporna?

From Semporna's jetty (JETI PELANCONG) you can go on the famous Tun Sakaran Marine Park island-hopping tours: hike Bohey Dulang island (count about 45 minutes to the 700 meter high summit) for the amazing seaviews (Celebes Sea panorama), then go snorkeling at Pulau Sibuan or Pulau Mantabuan over clear, clean shallow reefs. The TSMP marine park covers 8 islands and surrounding reefs at the mouth of Darvel Bay and is managed by Sabah Parks.

Which are the Hostels in Semporna?

Borneo Global Sipadan Backpacker
Dragon Inn Floating
Scuba Junkie
Best Bunk Bed
Atine Semporna Backpackers
Awys Backpackers
Wanderer's Inn
Sipadan Hotel Semporna
Mutiara Inn
Semporna Backpackers
Star Inn
Billabong Scuba Office
Damai traveller Lodge
Mydin Lodge Semporna
Island Backpackers
Luna Capsule
Aramaitie Backpackers
Jeff Backpackers Lodge
Wook Wook Homestay
Marina Hotel
Kuree Hut Semporna
Mermaid Inn
Alice Semporna Backpackers Hostel
Poga Backpackers
Bunk Inn Semporna II
My Home Backpackers
RTMS Guesthouse
Semporna Ocean Village

If you would rather sleep over the sea in a luxury resort, Semporna is ringed by water resort islands (it's often called the Maldives of Malaysia). On Mabul island, your choice range from beach resorts (such as at Sipadan-Mabul Resort) to overwater villas (at the Mabul Water Bungalows). Nearby Kapalai is a very popular stilt-built luxury resort. Further away and about 45 minutes from Semporna, Mataking island and Pom Pom island resort add private-island feels with house-reef snorkeling and easy Tun Sakaran marine Park day trips. These islands are the standard bases for diving or snorkeling trips to Sipadan island (permits required, don't forget to book in advance) and for macro diving on Mabul and Kapalai offer world-class dive sites.

Which are the Semporna Homestays?

Mabul Scuba Homestay
Mabul Hometown (Homestay)
Aloha Wonderland Homestay
Hosanna Semporna Homestay
Lok 10 Guesthouse
AE Semporna Guesthouse

Which are the Hotels and Resorts around Bum Bum Island

Egang-egang Resort
Luma Kembara

When are the Semporna Events & Festivals?

Regatta Lepa (April 2024)

Semporna Chinese Restaurants

Fat Mother Semporna (Chinese)
Ocean Treasure Live Seafood Restaurant (海中宝)
Fung Ling Restaurant
Then Wang Restoran (near Pacific Inn)
Restoran Thien Wang
Dragon Inn
Fish Village Seafood Restaurant

Semporna Western Restaurants

Scuba Junkie Diver's Bar & Family Cafe
Mabul Steak House
KFC
Arthur's Bar
Skyline Sports Bar (Seafest rooftop)

Semporna Malaysian Restaurants

Mabul Cafe
Restoran Nasi Kandar Al-Farisha
Seaview Cafe 1 and 2 (near Seafest)
Restoran Bismillah
Restoran Al-Nafisah
Zanah Food Truck
Seafood Restaurant Semporna
Anjung Lepa
Restoran Bawang Merah Bawang Putih
Anjung D'Samudera Cafe
Chrystal Jubilee 2

Which are the Semporna Islands?

What are the Top Semporna Other Attractions?

Bukit Tengkorak (Skull Hill)
Proboscis Monkey River Cruise

With speed boats close by, a wide range of hotel and airbnb choices, and Tun Sakaran Marine Park islands in reach, Semporna has develloped into one of the tourist biggest hub in Sabah and even in South East Asia so that you can spend the day where it counts: on the water surface while snokrleing or below the water and underwater while scuba diving in some of the best dive destination in the world.

Contact us for more information about Semporna.

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